* Describe your first student teaching context (school setting). What school are you at, what are some of its characteristics, and what classes are you teaching, and how are classes scheduled at your school
I am at Westerly Middle School where I teach 6th grade science classes on the breakers team with Mr. Reyes. The school is new and has many redeeming characteristics including a library filled with new technology and an innovative design, which allows teachers to better know their students and team of teachers. The school is broken into "pods" which are isolated sections of the school containing classrooms, a teacher’s lounge, a copy room, a conference room, bathrooms, student lockers, and even an open space teachers can use to allow students more space to do activities. The design of the school helps to create atmosphere of trust among students and teachers. All students in pod A have the same four teachers for their academic classes and only leave the pod for their "specials" (ie art, Pe) and lunch.
The schedule of the school is flexible so the teachers can decide to extend a period for big projects or link two classes for cross-curricular classes. The students have two specials a day, which they leave the pod for these are used for both a common planning time and a personal planning time. The common planning time allows the teachers to plan cross-curricular activities, voice concerns about students, and plan events. the personal planning time allows teachers time to plan lessons, do house keeping, and among other things take a brake. The camaraderie at the school is like none I have seen before and I fear I am being spoiled here, in other words if you are allowed the opportunity to spend some time in westerly middle school take it.
* Explain one of your "stealth" objectives that you want to accomplish with your students and why.
My “stealth” objective is to get students to start using the scientific method in their everyday lives. I believe if you go beyond teaching students the basic steps to the scientific method and teach them its applications they will inevitably start to apply it to their lives. This is important to me because I believe application of the scientific method to everyday decisions results in a more thought out educated conclusion. My hope is simply, I want my students to realize the proper application of intelligence will get them through any situation.
* Describe your first student teaching context (school setting). What school are you at, what are some of its characteristics, and what classes are you teaching, and how are classes scheduled at your school
I am at Westerly Middle School where I teach 6th grade science classes on the breakers team with Mr. Reyes. The school is new and has many redeeming characteristics including a library filled with new technology and an innovative design, which allows teachers to better know their students and team of teachers. The school is broken into "pods" which are isolated sections of the school containing classrooms, a teacher’s lounge, a copy room, a conference room, bathrooms, student lockers, and even an open space teachers can use to allow students more space to do activities. The design of the school helps to create atmosphere of trust among students and teachers. All students in pod A have the same four teachers for their academic classes and only leave the pod for their "specials" (ie art, Pe) and lunch.
The schedule of the school is flexible so the teachers can decide to extend a period for big projects or link two classes for cross-curricular classes. The students have two specials a day, which they leave the pod for these are used for both a common planning time and a personal planning time. The common planning time allows the teachers to plan cross-curricular activities, voice concerns about students, and plan events. the personal planning time allows teachers time to plan lessons, do house keeping, and among other things take a brake. The camaraderie at the school is like none I have seen before and I fear I am being spoiled here, in other words if you are allowed the opportunity to spend some time in westerly middle school take it.
* Explain one of your "stealth" objectives that you want to accomplish with your students and why.
My “stealth” objective is to get students to start using the scientific method in their everyday lives. I believe if you go beyond teaching students the basic steps to the scientific method and teach them its applications they will inevitably start to apply it to their lives. This is important to me because I believe application of the scientific method to everyday decisions results in a more thought out educated conclusion. My hope is simply, I want my students to realize the proper application of intelligence will get them through any situation.